WASHINGTON—The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University today sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson urging him to protect the public’s First Amendment rights at Republican-led town halls. The letter was sent in response to news reports that Rep. Richard Hudson, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, directed GOP lawmakers to stop having in-person town halls and instead to hold tele-town halls or Facebook Live events, which, as news reports noted, allow moderators to filter the public’s questions and comments. Speaker Johnson endorsed the directive. 

Citing First Amendment cases and appealing to Johnson’s experience as a constitutional lawyer, the letter states, “you know well that the First Amendment prohibits public officials from excluding citizens from public forums such as city council meetings, school board meetings, and in-person town halls because of their political viewpoints. Importantly, the same rules apply when public officials conduct town halls online, including on private social media platforms.”

It goes on to urge Johnson to reconsider his opposition to in-person town halls, noting that “town halls and similar events can sometimes be raucous and unpredictable, but non-violent debate, disagreement, and protest are the very hallmarks of democracy.” And it concludes by citing Vice President J.D. Vance’s recent remarks at the Munich Security Conference, in which he condemned elected officials who are “running in fear of [their] own voters.” 

During President Trump’s first term, the Knight Institute successfully challenged his practice of blocking critics from his social media accounts, establishing that government officials cannot block critics from online public forums. More about that case here.

Read today’s letter here.

For more information, contact: Adriana Lamirande, [email protected]